The Good Neighbor occupied the top of Kindle Amazon list since the start of August. The debut novel of A.J. Banner already received 700 reviews despite the fact that the official release of the book is set to September 1. “Captivating story”, “This book had everything”, “Fascinating mystery,” are some of the readers’ opinions about it.
It’s a great pleasure to welcome the current #1 Amazon Bestselling author at Land of Books.

Photo credit: Carol Ann Morris

– A.J., Tell us about your new book, The Good Neighbor. What is it about?
– The Good Neighbor is a novel of psychological suspense, in which a young woman suffers a tragedy and is forced to question everything she thought was true about her friends, her neighbors – and even her husband. The novel is set in the Pacific Northwest in the blustery days of autumn.

– What inspired you to write this story?
– My ideas are mysterious visitors lurking in the shadows, waiting to slip inside my head. I’m not sure where the idea for The Good Neighbor came from – maybe from the question, “what would you do if you discovered that everything you believed about your life was a lie?”
– What was the biggest challenge during the writing process?
– One big challenge was to make each scene authentic without dwelling on details. For example, how do I show a young woman climbing a ladder to rescue a little girl from her burning bedroom, then carry the girl down the ladder again? In a believable way? I rewrote the scene a few times. In the end, the reader doesn’t see the work involved in revising scenes. The story should read smoothly, without a hitch.
– Tell us something more about your main characters Sarah and Johnny? Are they based on individuals from your real life?
– They’re perhaps composites of many people I know in real life. Sarah’s a contemplative, introverted writer (a bit like me) who is also somewhat idealistic and wants to believe the best about people. But as a writer, she also pays attention to detail and to her intuition. Johnny, a dashing dermatologist, may or may not be the loving husband he appears to be.
– How much time did you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– I worked for a year on developing and revising this story with help from a freelance editor, then I revised again for my agent for another year and again for my fabulous editor at Amazon Publishing. The entire process took about three years. I sprouted a few gray hairs, but the process was extremely fun and rewarding.
– Have you been pleased with readers’ reception to The Good Neighbor?
– I love to connect with readers. I’m thrilled by the responses I’ve received from early reviewers of The Good Neighbor, and I’m grateful and amazed by the support I’ve received from friends and other authors. I feel the best way to promote my book is to give back to my readers and supporters, to support them in turn. I post regular updates, news and book giveaways on Facebook and Twitter, alert readers to wonderful books by other authors, respond promptly to messages, and of course I have a website. I’ll post on blogs, and my appearance schedule is easy to find on my website. My team at Amazon Publishing has been beyond amazing. They’re working tirelessly to promote The Good Neighbor!
– Tell us about A. J. Banner?
– I’m a nature lover, hiker, voracious reader, and mom to three cats. Two of my favorite movies: Pitch Black and Napoleon Dynamite. I have a particular fondness for Castelvetrano olives and carob peanut clusters. And I recently found out that I’m not allergic to airborne pollens.
– What are your writing habits?
– My best writing time is early morning before the cats wake up and wreak havoc, flinging their toys into the air. Before the obligations of the day set in, I find a few hours to write at my TreadDesk in my home office overlooking a forest, or I claim a corner of the living room couch to write on my laptop beneath the skylights.
– What are you working on next?
– I’m hard at work on a new psychological thriller with a few cool plot twists. Stay tuned!
– Is there a question I haven’t asked, but that you would like to answer?
– What do you find most rewarding about being an author? The most rewarding thing by far is hearing from readers who loved my book. One reader recently wrote that she downloaded The Good Neighbor by accident but then she couldn’t stop reading the book wherever she went – on the plane, in the train, and at home in bed. This kind of note delights me.

Check out more about A.J. Banner at her Website
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Take a look at her book
The Good Neighbor